I know people from these institutes and based on the conversations I had with them, I will say the preference order should be somewhat like below.

CSE MSIT ~ IT MAIT > ICE Thapar

Since you are considering different branches, it is clear that you don’t have any inclination towards a specific branch or specialization. If it’s true I will suggest don’t go for ICE Thapar. It is a core branch that already has fewer job opportunities in the industry. To score a decent placement at a core company for this branch you will need to be at the top of your class. Else, you are likely to end up in mass recruiting companies or software companies.

So, it will be better to stay in Delhi, it will be cost-effective, you can save up for your postgraduate degree and pursue what is in demand currently.

No, it isn’t difficult as such to switch branches after the first year, as most of us are unaware of the syllabus and whether it is going to suit our caliber and interest at the same time. Owing to this many opt out of their initially chosen branch.

• You need to score above 85 to be eligible to shift to the branch of your liking, as it might get difficult otherwise.
• Another most important factor is the availability of seats. At times there have been issues when the seats aren’t available and the competition soars.
• In the end, it all boils down to your interest. Make sure that you are not doing this under peer pressure.
• Almost all the time, this shifting is influenced by friends, and this sometimes backfires.

Make sure where your interests lie and look for scopes in the future. You can easily check about the vacant seats from your college department, consult your principal or administration as well for the best advice and help.

In terms of placements, it can be said that MAIT is pretty average. My friend is a Mechanical Engineer and according to his input, he does not recommend this institute. Good placement opportunities are available at GL Bajaj, PIET, and even HMR which are better than MAIT. The faculty at these institutes support their students entirely unlike MAIT.

MAIT is no longer what it used to be 10 years back. Students who even get into MAIT aren't aware as they refer to old reviews and they have no one around them who could guide them.

Here are some issues at MAIT:

• Registrar Department- The people present here at the department are not cooperative at all. They are sitting there because of internal references by acquaintances and do not do their job diligently. 
• TPO Cell- Students, in a good bulk are placed at Accenture and Infosys which is a sheer mockery of their skill. This is done to add a little glamor to the alumni network. The cell is paid a price to get the students placed. And what's even worse is the cell, despite that, cannot invite reputed companies to the institute. 
• Director- The director could not even get a good rank at the institute throughout these years. Because of this, the students and the faculty stay demoralized most of the time.

Considering all of these factors that I have mentioned, it would be wise to not choose MAIT, especially for the Core branch.

There is very little chance to get your branch upgraded to any department. Even if you manage to score more than 80% then also you will not be able to get a seat in your desired branch as they might show there is no vacancy in that branch.

• But there is very little chance you can get your branch upgraded if you have any good connections in GGSIPU.
• You can't get your branch upgraded for any other reasons even if you score more than 85% in your first semester exams.
• There is also much effect of money through which you can get your branch upgraded.
• A student in MAIT got upgraded to IT after getting a rank of 16k in CET 2017 after the spot round. And another got upgraded even after 79.2% in their first semester.
• Some students even after scoring more than 85% marks and having less than 6k rank in CET don't get upgraded to their desired branch because they neither have good connections nor have the extra money to pay for their upgradation.

To get your branch upgraded from EEE you either need to have very good connections in GGSIPU or you need to lend some extra money to the college to upgrade your branch. Without which you won't have any chances to upgrade even if your score is more than 80% marks in the first semester.

MAIT is a very good college but the coding culture is very bad in this college and there are no such good coding groups in this college either. One of my friends studied here, and this is what he has to say about it.

• People here are more interested in joining drama and dance groups and there are very less students joining coding groups.
• There are some workshops held for python in the college which can be good for beginners but it won't help to get you into a decent level.
• But gradually the scenario is improving and the environment is getting very competitive because of DotC.
• DotC is a coding club where students interact and work together to find solutions to their problems and it also creates a bond between juniors and seniors.
• Because of this group all sorts of GSoC, CodeJam begins from the first year which was not the case earlier.
• The environment of this group is very good and it helps the students to learn and grow.
• Every member of DotC is very helpful and supportive and is very motivated.

Hence, DotC is one such group for coding which can be joined by any student and it's competitive environment really helps the students to learn and grow more.

No, there is no academic difference in the first and second shifts in MAIT. Faculty members are almost the same for both shifts. Students enrolled for the second shift are provided with the option to attend classes during the first shift. The opportunities provided by the college are also the same for the students of both shifts.

During placement and recruitment drives, both shifts are treated equally without any biases. Students generally choose and are advised to choose the first shift if provided with the choice.

The advantages of getting into the first shift over the second shift are as follows:

1. The first shift has more Gender diversity when compared with the second shift.
2. Students enrolled in the first shift get more chances to indulge in extracurricular activities than students of the second shift.
3. Students of the first shift are inside the campus during the most productive hours of the day. This is not the case for the students of the second shift.

One of my friends was enrolled in the 2nd shift in MAIT and according to his experience, he did not have much difficulty with being enrolled in the second shift.Finally, the decision is up to you make based on your comfort and requirements.